Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Victorious Living

Home
Family, Parenting and Religion
Why Taking Responsibility is Vital for Leadership

Why Taking Responsibility is Vital for Leadership

Last updated on: September 9, 2019 at 1:35 pm by Victorious Living

Why Taking Responsibility is Vital for Leadership 2019-09-09T13:35:08-04:00 Victorious Living

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Perhaps the greatest obstacle for leaders is a mental one. We fight so hard for positional leadership, for validation and authority. These roles can be a hindrance to our actual ability to influence. The most important characteristic of a great leader is the willingness to take responsibility. We are enticed to leadership with the idea of taking credit for the good and blaming others for the bad. The perversion of power dynamics has us acting like spoiled kings on a throne rather than honorable influencers making a difference in this world.

A Lack of Humility

Once we achieve the status of leader, we mistakenly think we have discovered the top of the pyramid. We think it is the reward, the podium. From our perch on Mount Olympus, we now direct the chorus of laborers.

When things go awry, we assume it is the fault of the team members, the consumers, the government. Anyone but ourselves. We are quick to defend our own actions, quick to justify ourselves, quick to shift blame to anyone other than us.

In fact, we practice this in our everyday lives. ‘Traffic was terrible’. ‘Sorry I was late, had to drop off my kids at school’. We say these sorts of things in a way that blames our behavior on our circumstances. Traffic is always bad (or unpredictable at best) and kids always need to be dropped off at school. These are facts. We love to make ourselves victims of these facts rather than acknowledge the choices and responsibility we are capable of.

And victim mentality is intoxicating. We trick ourselves and others into thinking we cannot possibly be at fault. And so, once we get into a position of leadership, we feel as though some of these practices and perspectives have been working for us. And we double-down. We bury ourselves deeper in this inauthentic pile of blame-shifting and are terrified of being exposed.

Bad leaders present this god-like self-assessment. Nothing is ever our fault. We’ve created this false shell of superiority, which is really an inverted manifestation of our fear and anxiety, that we feel we must protect at all times.

Mission and Motivation

The driving difference between poor leaders and great leaders is a commitment to mission. Something external from ourselves. Otherwise, we will fight only for our own self, our own fame and power and financial compensations. And in our wake, we will leave disillusioned and frustrated people.

Taking responsibility is about submitting to a Transcendent purpose. It is about taking ownership of your journey. What choice can you make, even in the midst of those unfortunate circumstances? What could/can you have done better?

Moving from a focus on self-justification to self-empowerment is essential for vibrant living and effective leadership. We have to allow ourselves to make our choices, giving them neither too much or too little power.

Set Free

Taking responsibility allows us the opportunity to grow. It sets us free from the terror of fear and shame. We cannot be a part of the solution if we never acknowledge that we are a part of the problem. We cannot grow if we never admit that we have fallen short.

It is necessary for leaders to take responsibility. To face consequences bravely. To learn from mistakes. And to break the pattern of victim mentality that shackles our potential.

Influence

Leadership

Self-Awareness

Transformational Leadership

transformational leadership

victim mentality

Previous Post

June 8, 2018

4 Steps to Adult Friendship

Next Post

June 13, 2018 So You Wanna Be An Alpha?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Choices Conflict Resolution Culture Change Emotions Failure Faith Fear Freedom V Growth Healthy Communication Hope Identity Influence Leadership Learn Mistakes Mood Curve Ownership Perspective Power Relationships Self-Awareness Self-Governance Systems Thinking Three Things You Control Transformational Leadership Trust Truth Uncategorized Values Vision

Select a Month January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does the Shield of Faith protect believers from?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Physical attacks The need for armor The fiery darts of the enemy Earthly wealth

Books by This Author Books by Victorious Living

See All Titles »